Merry-go-round



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID G. JOHNSON, OF TRENTON, NElV JERSEY.

MERRY-GO-ROUND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,972, dated August27, 1889.

Application filed April 16, 1889. Serial No. 307,393. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID G. JOHNSON, of Trenton, in the county ofMercer and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and ImprovedMerry-Go-Round, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an apparatus designed more especially for use atseaside or summer resorts or in roller-skating rinks, to exercise andamuse persons on roller-skates or in fancy vehicles by pulling ordrawing them over a floor or platform in larger or smaller circles or inan elongated endless track; and the invention has for its object toprovide a simple, durable, inexpensive, and efficient apparatus of thischaracter.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction of themerry-go-round, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved merry-go-round; and Fig. 2 is asectional side elevation thereof, taken on the line at a: in Fig. 1.

The frame or frames A in which my merrygo-round is supported may haveany desired dimensions and general construction as the length of theapparatus or the conditions of its use may require.

The apparatus in its preferred form is made with two somewhat largewheels or pulleys B B, which are journaled to rotate horizontally bymeans of their vertical shafts b b, which are fitted into any suitablehearings on the frame A. The wheels have grooved peripheries, into whichis fitted an endless rope, chain, or cable 0.

To the shaft b of one of the wheels B is fixed a gear-wheel D, whichmeshes with another g'ear-wheel or pinion E, which is fast on a shaft F,journaled in suitable bearings on a bed-plate G, sustained below thefloor H of a building, or below a platform erected a little above theground at a seaside or pleasure resort. This shaft carries a pulley I,to which a power-transmitting belt will be run from any convenient motorto rotate the shaft, and through the gearing D E to rotate one of thewheels 13, which, through the traveling endless rope or chain C, alsorotates the other,

wheel B. I am not limited to any particular style of driving-gearing tooperate either of the rope-wheels, nor to any particular form of engineor motor to actuate the drivinggearing, as a steam or gas engine orhorse or man power may be employed, as the size of the apparatus maymake necessary.

To the spokes of each of the wheels B B, and also to the endless rope orbelt or chain 0 at more or less regular intervals, are at- I tached theupper ends of a series of pull or draft ropes J, the lower ends of whichhang down nearly to the floor H; hence as the wheels B are rotated thepull-ropes on them will be carried around larger or smaller circles andat faster or slower speed of rotation, accordingly as the ropes areattached farther from or nearer to the shafts or axles of the wheels,while the pull-ropes J on the endless rope or cable G will be carriedaround in semicircles at the outer peripheries of the wheels 13 andalong in comparatively straight lines for the whole distance between thetwo wheels, however long or short it may be. The wheels B B and the ropeor cable C will preferably run from eight to ten feet above the floor.

It is obvious that persons on roller-skates and grasping one of theropes J or vehicles of any desired plain or fancy structure hold-, ingone or more persons and hitched to these ropes will be carried around inlarger or smaller circles and at faster or slower speed by grasping orbeing hitched to the ropes hung from the spokes of the wheels B B; or ifthey grasp or be hitched to any of the ropes J on the endless travelingrope or cable 0 they will be carried half-way around both wheels andstraight along in opposite directions between the wheels or in the pathof the englor cable running on said Wheels, and pull or draft ropes ordevices hung from the endless rope or cable, substantially as herein setforth.

DAVID Gr. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

GEORGE FRANCIS, JOHN H. VAN FLEET.

